January 29th, 2008 Frank
What? Excuse me?
What the hell is wrong with people?
To start with, I don’t understand why poachers exist (OK, I do understand the economic reasons but that is IT), but this is just ridiculous. Sea lions in the fabled Galapagos…killed for no apparent reason.
Another thing: I appreciate the ecological importance of the Galapagos Islands (Darwin, the Beagle, and all that), but I have no desire to visit them, because more people just don’t belong there. Even this short BBC article link mentions that loads of visitors to the islands are bringing wear and tear to the natural idyll, not to mention invasive species, I imagine insects and other things that are taking over the original species on the island.
That’s one of the careful balancing acts the people who manage any natural space, ancient monument or whatever need to look out for, I guess - how to attract the paying customers, but make sure you don’t attract too many so the place isn’t wrecked. It’s a tough squeeze, but I’m sure the Galapagos don’t have a roving poacher patrol - who would have thought they’d need it? I just hope they catch the bastards.
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January 24th, 2008 Frank
Ecospace.cc has a nice, concise list of very simple ways to Save Money and the Environment. This goes right along with my sort-of motto of ‘how to convince people that don’t give a crap to help the environment, even if it’s only because they’re saving money’ 
The funny thing about these kinds of lists is that it’s all stuff people know already, but putting it together is sometimes just too much work for many people. The neat thing is that if you add one of these things to a habit list (like not buying standard alkaline batteries and just getting a few sets of rechargeable batteries) then it becomes a habit for life in the easiest possible way.
For instance, we all KNOW that full-power drag race style starts from traffic lights is bad for our fuel mileage and hard on our cars (leading to increased maintenance bills) but just being conscious of something like that is suprisingly something that several people I know just don’t do. I carpool with a guy who complains about his fuel mileage now that the petrol prices in our area of the UK is over one pound per litre, yet he doesn’t change his driving habits at all. Other guys I know have run more than a couple of their cars ragged (that’s more than 2 each) and they don’t blink an eye at the bothers of arranging hire cars, dealing with car mechanics or anything like that, they just don’t even think about it. I know ‘THE WORLD’ is not at the top of most people’s list of concerns, but really, if these mates of mine would just consider the amount of cash and time they’ve wasted, they would save that and be unconsciously helping the environment.
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January 23rd, 2008 Frank
Apparently Whole Foods is going to get rid of plastic bags and switch to 100% recycled paper bags on April 22nd (Earth Day). Good move! Of course they also offer reuseable bags at stores, which is what people ought to be using.
A few stores I shop at in the UK have moved to disposable or recycled plastic shopping bags as standard, and nearly all sell reuseable bags for a tiny cost (like 10p, about 18 US cents) that are replaced for free when they wear out. Sainsbury’s supermarkets uses 30% recycled plastic bags, Tesco (one of the biggest chains in the UK) uses biodegradable plastic bags (very cool) and also gives ‘club points’ for re-using bags, plus Debenham’s department stores use 100% recycled plastic bags, so whether for eco-guilt or corporate image the stores are doing the right things. It’s sort of a case of the ends justifying the means, and I hope the stores keep it up and the consumers keep up the pressure for the ‘green’ movement to keep going.
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January 17th, 2008 Frank
The Seattle Times: Mudslide photo spurs look at logging practices
Related to the news that Sierra Leone is banning timber exports, officials in Washington State were compelled to look at areas that were clearcut after floods ravaged towns after huge amounts of rainfall and high winds. Mother Nature and clearcutting were blamed, and the geologist speaking to a state committee said “I see no surprises here”, going on to say that clearcutting increases runoff up to tenfold.
Of course the company that did the clearcutting doesn’t think that they were at fault, they blame the extreme weather (to be fair, there was a LOT of rain), but if they can’t see that the clearcutting has anything to do with it they need their heads examined, really.
More info here from The Olympian, a newspaper in Washington state
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January 16th, 2008 Frank
BBC NEWS | Africa | Sierra Leone bans timber exports
Because the Sierra Leone government has finally noticed that timber exports to China and other countries are ruining their forests, they’ve put a hold on forest clearing. Hey, good for them! I love watching nature shows but hate seeing when they inevitably show the areas that are being devastated by uncaring people.
There’s a fantastic British show called ‘Tribe‘ where Bruce the host spends several days with various indigenous people around the world. From South America to Africa to the Polynesian islands, that sort of thing. It’s a GREAT show… anyway, in one of the shows Bruce stays with a tribe in Indonesia that has to deal with forest clearing, and it’s truly sad how they just put up with the trucks and the roads going through areas their ancestors used to know like the back of their hands. On top of that, they are losing hunting grounds and basically their whole way of life is totally threatened. Pleas to the government do little to help, but while they may live in skimpy raised huts in the forest the tribe knew they had to deal with people from the cities.
If you’re in the UK, try to rent the Tribe DVDs, and if you’re elsewhere see if your local store or rental place will get them in for you.
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January 12th, 2008 Frank
Another eco-article from How Stuff Works, asking what actually happens to the stuff that we take to the recycling area at the supermarket, or set out at the curb.
Do you ever wonder what happens to it when it’s out of sight, out of mind? I do sometimes. I mean, these are businesses, the lowest bidders, taking care of this stuff for the city (depending where you live, I suppose), so you basically trust them entirely to do what they say they will do. After seeing papers and cans floating about in the street when the recycling binmen pass through with their truck, I do kind of wonder if everything is going where it’s supposed to.
If you haven’t paid attention to how China has surged to the front of top destinations of recycled material, or you don’t know what the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is, give the article a read. It’s short and might share some info you’re not already aware of.
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January 11th, 2008 Frank
A cool idea, this, methinks. One guy is listing and (get this) KEEPING all his rubbish for all of 2008. This includes recyclables (which are separated) but not compostables. He started on the first of the year and at the end he’ll total everything up to see what he’s ended up with.
This would be something I’d consider doing (for a blog/site) if I wasn’t renting. And sharing the house with the house owner
Online at 365 Days Of Trash
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January 10th, 2008 Frank
Pretty neat article from How Stuff Works. Now owned by the Discovery Channel, the How Stuff Works site has expanded in the past few months to more exploratory articles, rather than just stuff about ‘how stuff works’.
This is a pretty good discussion to have with friends or family, and each page offers individual comparisons and links to more info, ending with an encouragement to decide for yourself whether you want to save ‘food miles’ or eat pesticide-free food. It could be a tough decision for some people, so it’s a good thing to think about if you care about where your food comes from, and what you put in your body.
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January 8th, 2008 Frank
How about this for handy-dandy recycled-ness and happy vibes?
Show off your elite bike-riding skills with a belt made from recycled road or mountain bike tires, or even inner tubes.
The first link takes you to Tyre Belt, where you can have a belt made to your spec, like slick, semi-slick or knobby treads, different buckle shapes and more. For a sleeker, more corporate look, try the inner tube belts from Schlauch, which are shinier and a bit skinnier.
Hey - if you’re a bike fan you’re gonna want to show it off! Why not, eh?
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January 1st, 2008 Frank
Well let’s see what Jeremy Clarkson says about this…
People who drive through the centre of London must already pay £8 (about $16) to drive in or through the busiest parts of the city (the congestion charge), but the mayor of London is proposing a £25 daily fee (about ($50) for SUV’s that are among the worst polluters. That’s per day.
I can’t say this is a bad thing! I know London’s an expensive place to live, and this won’t make it any cheaper…but really, if you’ve got the cash to splash out for the big Humvee, parking and insurance, what’s an extra £25 a day?
